Don't HDTVs Come With Built-In Coffee Makers?

We've mentioned it before, but buying an HDTV can be confusing to say the least. PCWorld.com has one of the best articles you'll find on the misconceptions of HDTV. One of the misconceptions they discuss:

"The higher the screen resolution, the better the image quality of an HDTV."

Most HDTV sets today are 720p displays, but a few vendors are beginning to offer 1080p sets--either LCDs or rear-projection micro-display (LCD, LCoS, DLP) models. As yet, no 1080p plasmas are available (though some have been announced in very large sizes). These sets will clearly do the best job of handling 1080p content--when it arrives. But today's HDTV shows are shown in either 720p or 1080i format: nobody broadcasts in 1080p because of bandwidth issues. Movies may someday be available in 1080p on optical media, but Hollywood hasn't settled on the next-generation hardware standard (Blu-ray or HD-DVD), much less chosen a content format.

Lack of 1080p content is one reason some vendors are holding off on introducing 1080p sets. But those that are selling 1080p sets point out that some HDTV is broadcast in 1080i, and that such content arguably looks better on a 1080p set because less scaling is involved. (On the other hand, 720p content has to be scaled up for a 1080p set.) Here again, though, the capabilities of the human eye come into play: You'll probably notice the superior resolution of 1080p only if you sit very close to the set--or have an extremely large set.

The other myths the article tackles:

• "An HD set is all you need to get high-def programs."


• "The bigger your HDTV set, the better it will look."


• "You have to relinquish the fluid motion of a CRT screen when you move up to HDTV."


• "Burn-in will wreck your plasma HDTV within a year."


• "Bright LCDs look beautiful everywhere, and they use much less power than plasma or CRT sets do."


• "These pricey TVs look so great out of the box that it's a waste to pay a small fortune to have a professional calibrate your set."


• "All true HDTV programming looks equally great."


• "Standard-definition TV is unwatchable on HDTV."


• "I'll have to toss all my current analog sets when the digital conversion kicks in."

Ten HDTV Myths at PCWorld.com

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